Maine Receives $36.7 Million in Early Federal Heating Assistance as Oil Prices Near $6 a Gallon
Maine will receive $36,675,395 in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with an additional $1,408,729 for the Wabanaki Nations. Senator Susan Collins's office announced the release is among the earliest in the program's history; last year, funding was delayed until December by the federal government shutdown.
Maine relies on heating oil more than almost any state: roughly half of its households heat with oil, down from 70% in 2010 but still high. According to the Maine Department of Energy Resources, the statewide average heating oil price was $5.97 a gallon on October 5, about 79% higher than a year earlier, after hitting a record $6.02 on September 21.
HEAP applications opened August 3 through MaineHousing and will be accepted until funding runs out or May 29, 2027, with income limits such as $38,070 for a one-person household. Collins said the early release gives low-income families certainty before winter as oil prices hover near record highs.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 缅因州议会大厦。图：Quintin Soloviev／Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0。The Maine State House. Photo: Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
